Secret Talents of the Stars

Secret Talents of the Stars is an American interactive reality game show where celebrities competed against each other in a tournament-like format in areas that differed from their normal professions, like singing, dancing, and acrobatics. Viewers were to vote on the most talented celebrity. The show premiered on CBS on April 8, 2008, but was canceled the following day due to low ratings, making it one of the few series to be canceled after one episode.[1]

Secret Talents of the Stars
Directed byDon Weiner
Presented byJohn O'Hurley
JudgesDebbie Reynolds
Brian McKnight
Gavin Polone
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producer(s)Robyn Nash
Don Weiner
Running time48 mins.
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseApril 8, 2008

Format

While the contestants' performances were critiqued by the show's judging panel of actress Debbie Reynolds, singer Brian McKnight, and producer/agent Gavin Polone, the real judging was done by home viewers, who were to vote online during each episode to determine which two celebrities stayed in the competition and which two were sent home. Voting was open only during the initial live broadcast to the Eastern and Central time zones as the results were to be announced at the end of each episode.

Secret Talents of the Stars was to follow a seven-week, tournament-style broadcast format.

Four acts were to each perform during both the show's live broadcasts on April 8 and 15, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then have performed during a live broadcast on April 22, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's first two finalists.

Four more acts were to each perform during both the show's live broadcasts on April 29 and May 6, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would have then performed during a live broadcast on May 13, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's second two finalists.

The live finale broadcast would have aired on May 22, with all sixteen contestants appearing together, and the four finalists competing one last time for home viewers—who would have been able to vote during the broadcast. The winner would be revealed at the finale's conclusion and then perform the winning entry one last time. But because of the show's cancellation, there were, of course, no results or winner.

CBS ordered Secret Talents of the Stars in January. The show was produced by Magic Molehill Productions, Inc., in association with Robyn Nash Productions and Don Weiner Productions. Robyn Nash and Don Weiner served as executive producers.

Contestants

Participants in the show, as well as the "secret talents" they would be performing, include:[2]

CelebrityOccupationSecret Talent
Clint Blackcountry singer-songwriterperforming stand-up comedy
Danny Bonaduceformer child actormaneuvering a unicycle with members of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Sasha CohenOlympic figure skaterperforming with the New Shanghai Circus, a Chinese acrobat troupe
Ric Flairformer professional wrestlersalsa dancing
Joe Frazierformer professional boxersinging R&B
Roy Jones, Jr.professional boxerrapping
Marla Maplesex-wife of Donald Trump and co-host of The Ex-Wives Clubdoing a gymnastics routine with The Anti-Gravity Troupe
Cindy Margolisactress and modelperforming magic
Bridget Marquardtactress and modelperforming trapeze with the former masters of Cirque du Soleil
Jo Dee Messinacountry singer-songwriterperforming a hip-hop meets step-dancing routine
Joshua MorrowThe Young and the Restless actorperforming a rock-n-roll juggling routine with Marcus Monroe
Mýaactress and singertap dancing
Sheila E.musician and former judge on The Next Great American Bandjuggling with The Flying Karamazov Brothers
Ben Steincomedian, attorney and commentatordancing the jitterbug
George Takeiformer Star Trek actorcrooning as a country singer
Malcolm-Jamal Warnerformer Cosby Show actorperforming an original song on bass guitar as part of a hip hop orchestra

Episode

During the single April 8, 2008 episode, the judges uniformly expressed their preference for the performances of Mýa and Clint Black. However, the audience votes advanced Sasha Cohen and Clint Black while sending Mýa and George Takei home.

After Takei performed, Polone joked that he looked like one of the main characters in Brokeback Mountain, the Oscar-nominated film about two gay cowboys. Takei, who is openly gay, mustered a smile during the live broadcast, but in a later interview with Entertainment Tonight, he admitted to being offended. Polone did not apologize for his words.[3]

Ratings
# Air Date Rating Share 18-49 Viewers (m) Weekly Rank
1 April 8, 2008 3.2 5 1.5/4 4.61 71

In comparison, the notorious flop quarterlife, which had also been canceled after one episode by NBC several weeks earlier, had a 3.1 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot, where fewer networks broadcast. CBS then decided not to make the remaining six episodes.

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References
  1. The Associated Press: CBS Axes Reality Show After 1 Episode
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20080409210415/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/secret_talents_of_the_stars/bio/. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Entertainment Tonight, shown in syndication on April 9, 2008
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